[SPL] SK Telecom T1 vs KT Rolster - 2014 Final

On August 05 2014 22:54 bhfberserk wrote:


For others that want to catch on this awesome rivalry, story, drama! :D
It is definitely not in Flash's favor. Is God going to shut this clown up once and for all? Or will Parting once again bring out the ruler...

History of the Rivalry:

Flash calling Parting out: July 29 2014
Most Recent Interview from JINAIR vs KT Winner Interview.
+ Show Spoiler +

Flash on Parting's Ceremony
+ Show Spoiler +

Parting's Ruler Ceremony #2 - February 17
+ Show Spoiler +

Parting's Ruler Ceremony #1 - January 12 2014
+ Show Spoiler +

2013 WCS Season 3 RO16 - September 29 2013
The two meet again in another RO16 group...The first two match was quite straight forward. Match 3 when everything was on the line ended up being the most epic cloak base-trade TvP.
+ Show Spoiler +

Parting and Flash in Group of Death - May 2 2013
2013 WCS Season 1 RO16
"Group of Death" is over used these days. The only real Group of Death in SC2 was this Group of Death.
The GomTV Gangnam studio is more packed than any the recent finals.
+ Show Spoiler +

Parting: "super imba GG" - March 21 2013
MLG Dallas 2013 Quarterfinals
+ Show Spoiler +

On August 06 2014 14:13 LockeTazeline wrote:
Well I meant to just briefly give my thoughts on the lineup, but this happened....



Soulkey > Stats

Perhaps surprisingly, the stats might favour its namesake here. While Soulkey's only ZvP matches in the last 2 months contain losses to sOs and Zest, Stats has been tearing up the matchup, going 12-1 in his last thirteen games. Granted, his opponents in that timeframe haven't always been ZvP maestros (Effort, Hitman, Sniper), but in his recent Code A outing, he handily defeated Life and Rogue to top the group, and he hasn't dropped a PvZ match since April 28.

Still, despite this impressive record, I have to give the edge just slightly to Soulkey. While Stats is certainly an excellent player, Soulkey has consistently maintained championship level play over all of HotS, and has proven his skill time and time again.

PartinG > Flash

PartinG vs Flash has become something of a rivalry in Starcraft II, but unfortunately for Flash, a rather one sided one, with PartinG sporting a dominating 8-1 record since their MLG meeting in the first days of HotS. In Proleague and GSL, PartinG has simply had Flash's number. Of course, past results don't necessarily indicate a present equivalence, and with Flash currently on an 8 game winning streak in TvP, KT fans may have reason to hope for vengeance in this climactic rematch. But if PartinG beating Flash is the status quo, there's nothing in PartinG's recent form that would indicate the time for change has come. The SKT Protoss has quietly amassed a sterling PvT record of 21-3 in 2014 (that's an 87.5% winrate vs only Koreans), with a loss to Bbyong's Gangam Terran being his only match loss this year (amusingly, his last loss before that and only bo3+ loss since March 2013 was an 0-2 to Byun in December).

For those who remember PartinG's reign as the master of PvT in early 2012, nothing has changed since then; Flash has a daunting task in front of him to overcome the infamous Parting vT. He can do it, but I have to give the advantage again to the SKT player in this matchup.

Rain = Zest

Zest, the SKT slayer. Known for his run earlier in the year where he ruthlessly defeated every SKT player he came across, Zest looks to prove that title once more. Standing in his way though, is the player who finally broke Zest's streak of SKT dominance, the ever-solid Rain. With his victory over herO in the ace match vs. CJ Entus, SKT fans will hope that Rain's tendency to disappoint come playoff time is finally over and that he lives up to his status as SKT's ace (despite their roster continually becoming more stacked, he is still the player most often trusted with that role).

Simply put, both Protosses are masters of the PvP matchup and the game in general, and I find them too evenly matched to give one a distinct advantage. This one is, in traditional PvP fashion, a Toss up.

Dark > Action

Said to have attained the #1 position in SKT's in-house rankings in the past, and now with 3 consecutive Code S qualifications under his belt, Dark can no longer be said to be the darkhorse in SKT's roster. His role as the starter in each of SKT's playoff matches vs CJ Entus show that he has earned the respect of his coaches and should be considered as dangerous a threat as the rest of SKT's stacked lineup.

Comparatively, Action's accomplishments are a little...lackluster. Since the HotS release, the KT zerg has only qualified for Code A once and only recieving the occasional nod in Proleague over one of KT's main four. Action does have a saving grace though, that being that ZvZ has statistically been his best matchup, with a 63% winrate vs only Korean opponents (Coincidentally, Dark has the same 63% winrate). Add in the relative volatility of ZvZ, and Action's chance at pulling an upset here isn't unrealistic.

(Interesting fact: Dark technically has the highest winrate in Proleague at 75%, and Action is tied for second at 67%, although of course, they have only 9 and 8 games played respectively)

soO > Sleep

Imagine if I told you in 2012 that in 2 years, x6.Sleep would be playing in the Grand Finals of Proleague. Preposterous, but fast forward 2 years, and here we are. As a hipster Korean who joined a foreign team before it was cool, Sleep had rather underwhelming results in the foreign scene, never making a big finish in a major tournament. Thus, many fans were understandably surprised when Sleep came 1 map away from making the quarterfinals of Code S last year after returning to Korea. But it seems that training in a Korean teamhouse, first with Azubu and now with KT, has brought out his skills, and no one will be sleeping on him now.

Standing in his way though, is a 3 time GSL finalist, the king of all kongs, SKT_soO. Initially treated as a fluke, no one is denying soO's skill now. His achievement in SCII's most contested tournament is nothing short of incredible, especially in the modern Code S era. Considering this, it's impossible not to give soO the edge in this matchup. Dominating the world's hardest league for an entire year earns you that kind of respect. And yet...there is cause for concern for the GSL's perennial silver medalist. soO's wild success in individual leagues has not translated to teamleagues. A modest 12-11 record is not what one would expect from a player of soO's caliber, and he is currently on a 4 game Proleague losing streak, both in general and in ZvZ matches. If soO doesn't pull it together for the finals, we could Sleep give him a sharp wake up call and take the set for KT Rolster.

Classic > TY

When I first saw the lineups, I originally had this match pegged as being equal like Rain vs. Zest, but a little research now has me favouring Classic here. TY's TvP winrate in 2014 is only 40% compared to a 67% for Classic, and TY has lost 4 consecutive matches versus Protoss. Considering that Classic's record consists of wins over Maru in GSL, one has to credit the GSL champion with top class PvT. An important disclaimer with both players' statistics, however, is that neither have many recent games. Classic just has his 4-2 over Maru in the Code S semifinals and a loss to Bbyong's mech play, while TY likewise has only 2 matches played in the last 2 month (although an 0-2 loss to Hurricane doesn't exactly inspire confidence).

The point is that neither's current form is precisely clear (and Classic's terranless Code S group won't provide pus any additional clues). In spite of his poor TvP record, any avid Proleague viewer will tell you that TY is one of the most talented Terrans in the world. TY is known for bringing out innovative builds in Proleague's Bo1 format, so he'll undoubtedly have something cooked up for Classic.

Overall thoughts:

If KT can take it to the ace match, it's anyone's game, but it'll be quite difficult for them to make it there. I see SKT as being favoured in 5 of the 6 matches, and while I expect KT should take one of them, I predict SKT to close it out 4-2. KT has a significant drop off after their top 4, whereas the bo7 format only allows SKT to further flex their stacked roster (as they no longer need to keep GSL champions on the bench) Then again, this is Proleague where perceived skill gaps are constantly bridged by superior preparation.

On August 07 2014 23:45 The_Templar wrote:
The hype is dead. :\

On August 08 2014 00:49 The_Templar wrote:
Passion quotas are for people that don't have infinite passion.


Stats has the Soul key.

On August 08 2014 04:48 The_Templar wrote:
So, I have determined that Flash will out-parting PartinG himself.

On August 08 2014 07:21 The_Templar wrote:

How about paint?

draw ZerO

On August 08 2014 07:51 The_Templar wrote:

That's the spirit


Can Zest unleash the umbrella?!

On August 08 2014 08:15 The_Templar wrote:

Someone took action and got a flashlight to combat the dark!

On August 08 2014 08:33 The_Templar wrote:


Looks like soO is getting overcome by Sleep.

On August 08 2014 08:47 The_Templar wrote:


Looks like TY is going to be reading a Classic.

On August 08 2014 10:18 The_Templar wrote:
More hype for Flash vs Parting, poll in the OP says it all.

On August 08 2014 10:24 AWalker9 wrote:


hypeuuuuu

On August 08 2014 11:25 The_Templar wrote:
So my brother who plays most popular games was playing hearthstone and, as I passed by, he made a surprised noise at his computer. I was curious, so I took a look at his screen. Turns out he was playing an arena game and got some interesting card choices.



He asked me what he should pick and I told him it didn't matter, as all of them will crush SKT. He gave me a funny look so I just told him to pick Flash.

On August 08 2014 14:44 Challengerr wrote:


Made a couple wallpapers for the event. Here's a teaser one, imgur album below with multiple versions 1920x1080

KT BEST KT

http://imgur.com/a/hXFSv

On August 08 2014 21:50 BisuDagger wrote:


      SK T1 fans, I implore you to not read this guide lightly. If you go to this event you may need every bit of information. KT Rolster fans cannot be trusted, cannot be tolerated, and mostly cannot hold their tears. No seriously. Here’s a personal account from both KT and SKT fans after KT lost the last SPL grand finals to SKT.

---

An anonymous SKT fan says:
      Their eyes swell and turn red. They are unable to speak, unable to breath, nothing. The world around, becomes a blur of color that melts to gray. The weight in their chest and locks in their throats. The pain in the back of the mind the comes forward by the slightest reminder. A small token of sorrow and misery. Small crystal beads that trail down the cheeks to the neck, and the chest. Only to melt into the cloth they wore or to fall off their pouting lip.

Another SKT fan had this to share:
       A single tear slid down from his(Flash’s) warm, butterscotch eyes, followed by another one, and another one, until soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed it's way down his pale cheek, releasing the sadness and sorrow that has been held inside of him for all this time but still he did not make a sound. At the same time, a girl with deep, blue eyes, let out a heart wrenching wail, that was followed by a series of blatant tears. One would ask. Is it better to rack your body with noisy sobs and let the world know of your pain, or to slowly release your emotion within yourself with silent tears?

An anonymous KT fan’s experience:
       I never learned to cry with style, silently, the pearl-shaped tears rolling down my cheeks from wide luminous eyes, as on the covers of True Love comics, leaving no smears or streaks. I wished I had; then I could have done it in front of people, instead of in bathrooms, in darkened movie theatres, shrubberies and empty bedrooms, among the party coats on the bed.

When asking a KT fan to describe what Flash looked like:
       His crying was both ferocious and noisy. He blinked briny tears from bloodshot eyes, his thick lashes stuck together in clumps as if he'd been swimming. The tears made wet tracks down his face and dripped from his stubbled, wobbling chin. Clear watery snot streaked from his flaring nostrils down his red mottled skin to his open quivering lips. His hands open and closed, rhythmically clenching as if there could be some violent solution to his pain if only he could find it.

---

      Sad, I know right? This is why packing correctly is even more important. For just a few cheap bucks you can head to any store near the event and buy yourself some KT Jelly. You may think it is odd buying something you will be giving away to opposing fans. But unless you want to deal with that miserable sob experience, you are going to need to offer the opposing fans some KT Jelly. This product is specifically for all those jelly fans that are going to feel awful after their team gets demolished and it is going to ruin the happiness of the event if every KT fan is wailing their heart out. So be sure to offer it to them fast so they can safely make it home before crying their hearts out.

On August 08 2014 23:49 BisuDagger wrote:


      It’s standard to be very excited seeing your team play in person. The worst part, however, is you are also forced to see the opposing team in person. Generally this isn’t an intolerable experience, but it’s KT Rolster. Nothing is more mind numbingly boring, depressing, and outright miserable then being in the same venue with these players….especially after they lose a game! This part of the guide will prepare you for the different type of personalities that exist in the KT Rolster house. Additionally, to make this more intimate, I used excerpts from each players diary.

---

Personality Type 1: Scared Stats – his first day in the team house with Flash
Date: 01/10/08
      He was horrible. He told me what to wear to be in with his crew. I hated him but being 'friends' with him means that I am popular. He teases other teammates and flirts with all of the gamers. He was just one of them guys that you wanted to push into a metal locker and bruise all of his face.

Personality Type 2: Forlorn Flash – excerpts of Flash after losses to Parting
Date: 05/27/13
      I hated him with a huge passion. His presence buzzed around me like a fly that I could not swat. He had designer clothes, lived in the SKT house. He had everything. And there was me. A boring old gamer with no special qualities.

Date: 01/12/14
       I stood on the brink of something I couldn't describe. The weight of everything seemed to press down on my shoulders and I struggled to take even a single step forward. It was too much. All of it. And somehow, I kept moving. But every step cost me. The darkness grew darker; the pain grew sharper; all of it seemed to only grow in strength and I began to wonder if things could ever get better.
But I never said a word. Sometimes I wonder if that smile- the horribly fake smile- is ever seen through. If someone ever notices that sad, broken look in my eyes that I see in the mirror. If they see beauty where I see ugliness. And then I laugh, a bitter, sarcastic laugh, at myself. Nobody cares. No one notices. They never seem to, do they?
I've fought for years. I just march on..

Personality Type 3: Zester then the rest
Date: 04/08/12
       How did I feel when Bisu defeated me earlier today? I was on the very brink of knowing all it is possible to know, but the barrier of impending doom held it at bay. For the briefest of moments I knew precisely what was to occur, yet could never be certain until the event.
Who was I? What had I done? Had I fallen like one of the princes? Had I been born into the land of forgetfulness, and to die like a man?

Personality Type 4: Anxious Action – a personal account of losing a game
Date: 06/02/14
       My heart twisted and sunk with nerves as I sat in front of the computer. The white light enveloped me, coldly, as I shook. My breaths came in sharp pants and I tried to gain control, but nothing was working. It hurt. It HURT! I tried to breath calmly, but every time I looked up those cruel, horrible, necessary words were there. GG. Words I had known long before I type them. Words I had waited for with anxiety and worry, knowing, somehow, what they might say.
Slowly, the panic and anxiety attack flowed away, and yet I still shook. My eyes, closed and aimed towards my clasped hands, slowly opened. Trepidation swelled through me as I slowly raised my eyes yet again to the steadily shining screen.

Personality Type 5: Sleeping Sleep
Date: Night time in the team house
      I heard a loud whaling sound piercing through the walls. It was hard to believe it came from such a tiny creature, I wanted to go back to sleep and ignore it but it was impossible. It sounded like the screeching of an angry cat, only growing harsher and louder as I walked to stop the wailing.
I looked down at his balled up red face, eyes frantically searching the room for my familiar face, and when her eyes landed on me the crying diminished and he giggled, as if waking me up in the middle of the night was a joke. I sighed and walked out of the room into my own.
I closed my eyes to get some well-deserved sleep, but once I did it started again. I buried my head into my pillow. Baby is so annoying, I groaned.

Personality Type 6: Baby
Date: 07/29/14
       Sullen, secretive, languid, self centered, opinionated, surly, uncouth, unscrupulous, caustic, domineering, ignorant, grouchy, petulant, scared, slovenly, argumentative, babyish, conceited, complacent, arrogant, dangerous, liar, disparaging, disrespectful, sarcastic.

---

      I know this was a lot to take in SKT fans. Believe me, reading this now is already giving you the proper mental fortitude to share a venue with this team.

On August 09 2014 00:13 quien wrote:


ONE MORE DAY!

On August 09 2014 02:13 BisuDagger wrote:


      You’ve been warned about the sad state of KT fans. You’ve been told in darkest details of the KT Rolster team. Disregard everything. Be nice to fans? No need. Appreciate the opponent? Get out of here! I met up with several SK Telecom players, retired and active, and head coach Oov. I wanted capture the SKT mindset when they are about to fight against their opponent.

---

The Emperor Boxer:
Do you try and humiliate your opponent?
       I try to be as impersonal as possible.

      I get no joy out of being an asshole to someone. That said, I don't "show mercy" on newbs because getting your ass kicked is a major part of learning how to play the game. You're doing someone a disservice if you let someone win as they'll get lulled into thinking they are actually good. I don't do cheesey tactics for the sake easy wins. I’m killing them off in such a manner the next time we play they will fear me.

Iloveoov:
What is your attitude once the game has begun?
      I try and show mercy to lesser players when it's a 1v1 type situation, because if I just keep killing them over and over again, then they're not going to have much fun. None of that matters, because I always win regardless. If there's more people (1v2, 1v3), then i'll try harder, but if everybody else is a major noob I may entertain myself in other ways. I don't really trash talk during games either, my fan girls take care of that for me.

BruceLee Toss Bisu:
How do you feel your opponent perceives you?
      I’m not sure if you'd say I’m was classically beautiful, but my large liquid brown eyes hold such an intelligence and serenity that it is impossible for those who gaze upon not to be held prisoner by them. My cheekbones aren’t especially high and her nose was a little too long to be perfect, but there is undeniable symmetry to my features and perhaps that's what holds everyone so captivated. People do all they can not to stutter and blush when they address me.

Rain:
What goes through your mind before your match begins?
      Before I enter the booth and envision myself. I am a general standing on the hilltop, a lone figure in the noonday sun. In the valley below me, and astride zealots and stalkers possessed by the thrill of the battle thunder across the plain. Driven by fury and fear, and with flashing weapons held high, they charged into the waiting ranks. The slaying had commenced.

Parting:
Are you always confident when you play?
      I laugh heartlessly, looking down at opponents as if they are just another child begging me for pity. As I continue to stare across the room waiting for my game, my stony glare carves into the weakening eyes of my challengers. Fury blurs their sight causing them to lose focus. In the time it takes their mind to return, their faces is already swollen, puffy, wet. They realize they typed GG on the screen, but they also know their forfeit was an involuntary result of the fear of me haunting them.

soO:
Describe the final moments as you defeat your opponent?
      The pain my opponent should feel is like fire had faded away to an icy numbness. Black fills the edges of my vision as I near victory and the only thing I could hear is my own heartbeat. My opponents breath comes in ragged, shallow gasps. Seconds pass as my units gather, then, my opponent hears the voices. Units swarm all over my challenger. I laugh. Surely he could tell that it was far too late for him to be saved, yet like children, he is naive to the darkness of the real world. The despair and suffering of the world that takes everyone who opposes me away. He would be joining them soon though. He would be able to leave all the pain behind with just two letters. I close my eyes, I can be happily now. My opponent has fallen.

---

A big thanks to the players who found time to answer these questions for me.

On August 09 2014 02:34 Lorning wrote:
RIP SKT

On August 09 2014 03:12 quien wrote:
a gaze to the future

this is not your year skt. destined to lose.

On August 09 2014 03:13 karfussen wrote:
gogo Flash!

On August 09 2014 03:34 Darkhorse wrote:


"KT best KT" "SKT best KT". These are common statements found on the forums. Tonight we will find out which of the two will be the champions of the 2014 Proleague Season, but there is a ton of analysis you can do to determine which is actually the best KT! Since we have some time to build the hype, I thought I would put down some more stats to try to prove which KT is in fact the best KT. This shit is about to be so science you don't even know.

(note: this only applies to Starcraft II)

Head to Head:

This is pretty standard. Which team has the winning record in their head to head matches? I have not included the Zombie proleague in 2011-2012 because that shit was just bonkers.

SKT holds the lead in head to head matches by a score of 6-5. KT has actually won more maps than them (28-26 overall) but it's the match wins that count.

But there is another aspect to head to head records: How do the players of each team do when they are matched against each other outside of a team league format?

In individual leagues KT has the upper hand, with a 28-18 record in matches and an 83-60 record in maps. Just to give you an idea of how good Zest has been against SKT: without him the match score between the two teams is 17-17 and the map score is 53-45 in favor of KT. Zest is the real Telecom matchup bonjwa.

Score: KT 1-1 SKT

Tournament Wins

This is standard stuff. Which team's players have won more tournaments? Neither team has won a team championship because they both suck but let's look at individual leagues.

SKT:
Hot6ix Cup
2012 WCS Korea
2012 OSL
RBBG NYC
2014 GSL Season 2

KT:
2014 GSL Season 1
2014 GSL Global Championship

SKT has the edge here, and that is without counting the tournament wins of Parting or Soulkey that they got prior to joining SKT.

Score: KT 1-2 SKT

$$$$$$$$$$$

"Mo money mo problems" as a Starcraft II player will probably never say. Which team has earned more money from tournament wins/high placing? I will include individual money and team money!

SKT: $283,475
KT: $219,543

SKT? More like $KT. Once again, I tried not to include anything that was won prior to a player being on one of the KT's. (Parting and Soulkey would have added much more to the total).

Score: KT 1-3 SKT

Finals:

KT beat SKT 4-0 in the Round 1 finals and Zest 4-3'd soO in the GSL finals of Season 1. KT king of finals.

Score: KT 2-3 SKT

And so, by the power of science, lack of other ideas, and the need to go run a few LR threads, I declare that SKT is in fact, the best KT!

On August 09 2014 04:09 `sawyer wrote:
HYPE!

On August 09 2014 05:15 rotta wrote:
13h 23m, aaaaaaargh!!! How am I supposed to get any sleep tonight? I tried to pass the time by watching Destiny and Red Bull, but those just don't cut it at this point.

KT best KT!

Oh yeah, I was making a banner the other night, but fell asleep and lost the uncropped original. Here it is anyway:

On August 09 2014 05:26 `sawyer wrote:


Here is my banner

On August 09 2014 05:27 Lorning wrote:
Guess I can repost this banner I made for GSL S1 2014

On August 09 2014 06:46 Skynx wrote:
MY BANNER !!!



LoL vs Women :/

On August 09 2014 10:15 Dodgin wrote:
Choose your ending:





sidenote, if the crowd looks anything like it does in the 1st video tonight I am going to fucking lose it with HYPE

On August 09 2014 11:37 quien wrote:

GOD YOUNG HO!

On August 09 2014 12:33 Silvana wrote:
6 hours to go~!!! My hair is ready, my cat is ready, I am ready! Go KT!

On August 09 2014 13:23 prabhbhambra13 wrote:
The spirit of BeeSuit will be on SKT's side

On August 09 2014 13:42 aZealot wrote:
Flashuuuu!

On August 09 2014 13:45 AccoWand wrote:
Less then 5h to start hnnggngngnggg.

my ruler are ready

On August 09 2014 18:17 FFW_Rude wrote:
My Prediction !

On August 09 2014 18:23 GreenMash wrote:

Helix has spoken

On August 01 2014 19:45 xpaperclip wrote:
Incidentally, how do people feel about the thread or OP being spoiler-y while it's actually happening?

I did a mockup for hyping each match as it happens but it requires HTML (and that HTML be insertable in a mod note so that it pervades the thread), and therefore of course someone who has those powers be willing to use them and update during the event.

+ Show Spoiler +

On August 01 2014 20:02 Zealously wrote:


This would be difficult to do. I'll talk to, eh, people.

As for the idea itself, I think it'd be great. As long as we remove it after the match there shouldn't be an issue with spoilers because I find it hard to believe that someone would come into an LR thread halfway through the match expecting not to be spoiled.

body {
    background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/sstJMLR.png), url(http://i.imgur.com/wphYfNT.png);
    background-position: left 260px,right 260px; background-attachment: fixed; background-repeat: no-repeat;
}
#main-left-sidebar { opacity: 0.65; }
#main-right-sidebar { opacity: 0.65; }
.sidebar_block .sbcontents { background-color: rgba(217, 221, 224, 0.65); }
table.sidemenu { background-color: rgba(217, 221, 224, 0.65); }

On August 01 2014 20:13 xpaperclip wrote:

Is it possible to insert HTML into a mod note? I've already worked out what CSS is needed- the following is what I used to make the screenshot. Obviously it would be broken up more so the pips are separate so all the images could be prepared beforehand and be easy to update.

body {
    background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/sstJMLR.png), url(http://i.imgur.com/wphYfNT.png);
    background-position: left 260px,right 260px; background-attachment: fixed; background-repeat: no-repeat;
}
#main-left-sidebar { opacity: 0.65; }
#main-right-sidebar { opacity: 0.65; }
.sidebar_block .sbcontents { background-color: rgba(217, 221, 224, 0.65); }
table.sidemenu { background-color: rgba(217, 221, 224, 0.65); }

A second best might be to edit it into the first post of each LR sequence (if someone does one) so that it kind of punctuates the thread.